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Thursday, October 9, 2008

The Antidote for Waiting

While waiting for my marked-up manuscripts to get back to me, I've been a bit restless. I was working on my query for a while, but I decided that sort of job needs to be done when I'm doing the final polish. My muse didn't hit me with any new short stories, but I did get a couple of sentences that might start one someday:

She was a plump housewife with three small children and a sick husband--so what was she doing going out to fight trolls?

Because, she mused as she clutched the ancient family shortsword, I have three small children and a sick husband.

And that's it! That's all I have. And it has a dreadful cliche with the trolls.

So anyway, I decided that the best way to conquer my waiting doldrums is to package up and send off a short story. Therefore, "Petroleum Sunset" (the new title of my hick science fiction) is now on my side table, waiting to embark on its journey to Asimov's.

I hope it does better on its journey than the copy of Starcaster that Lisa tried to send back to me. Check out the tracking history:

Processed, October 09, 2008, 2:27 am, JACKSONVILLE, FL 32099
Processed, October 06, 2008, 3:17 pm, CAPITOL HEIGHTS, MD 20790
Processed, October 04, 2008, 9:48 pm, JACKSONVILLE, FL 32099
Processed, October 01, 2008, 8:00 pm, SPRINGFIELD, MA 01152
Acceptance, September 29, 2008, 12:33 pm, STOW, MA 01775

So it came to Jacksonville, wandered north, then came back south again. What on earth?

4 comments:

  1. Try sending it by dogsled next time. Michelle Moran's publisher sent the ARC for HERETIC QUEEN by bear courier and it's still not here. Luckily, I got the hardcover Michelle mailed ages ago and I'm reviewing that today at Enduring Romance.

    Love the sentences about the housewife fighting trolls. Go, Mama!

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  2. Thanks Kimber! A dogsled just won't work here in Florida. Maybe I can try a gator courier.

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  3. Dogsled has potential - we can put wheels on it as moves south.

    I too liked the sentence with the housewife fighting trolls - why is it cliche - is it cliche to fight trolls? Guess I'm not up on the cliches.

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  4. Thanks! I thought maybe the trolls were a fantasy cliche. Her fighting them is not.

    I still don't have a story yet. But Petroleum Sunset started with a similar line, so I just need to think about it for a while.

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